Photo Description: My favorite students. My daughter and son at my daughter’s high school graduation. My son is wearing the cap and my daughter is wearing the gown.
Week Eight
The primary audience for my first book was leaders of the global majority so I was not challenged in finding people to interview. Honestly, it was the easiest part of the writing process.
For this upcoming book, I purposefully didn’t want to engage one perspective. It was a shift that was a bit of a sell to the publisher. Last time the publisher didn’t know how to market a book written for leaders of color. It was like this new thing that left me frustrated and at times, defeated.
This time, who knows how the marketing will go when they see that the voices shared are from so many different perspectives but to me I think it is worth it. I feel like our education system is siloed in so many ways yet we are so dependent on each other that I wanted to lift that interconnectiveness by amplifying the voices and experiences of multiple members of the education ecosystem—-well that has been easier said than done.
As before, I haven’t had any issues with the adults. I have plenty of principals, parents, and even superintendent voices. However, students are another story. They have been the hardest group for me to find and interview. There’s also the need to ensure that a minor’s voice is protected. I don’t plan on dropping it. I can’t imagine writing this book without their voice so I will keep exploring ways to capture them.
I was at a conference this week that started with a performance by a high school marching band. I love a marching band! I appreciate conferences that integrate student voice although it’s often through performance or storytelling which is great but can feel like exploitation or a version of the white gaze where we put students on display but we are not engaging, interacting, listening, or following their thoughts, ideas, and opinions.
I’m writing another article right now and talking about the importance of student empathy interviews. I think when I do have my opportunity to speak to students, I will need to ensure my approach is adapted to ensure they are heard and when I write their stories, it is with admiration and not exploitation.
Week nine done.